In some embodiments, a low-resistance path between an active cell and a power supply layer in an integrated circuit device includes at least one layer of a plurality of conductive lines commonly connected to at least one conductive line through a plurality of respective conductive pillars, the at least one conductive line being in the power supply layer or intervening the active cell and the power supply layer. In some embodiments, the integrated circuit device includes a conductive layer that includes the plurality of conductive lines and additional conductive portions, where the plurality of conductive lines are isolated from the additional conductive portions.

In a power line structure for supplying power to standard cells, buried power lines extending in the X direction are placed at a given spacing in the Y direction. A local power line extending in the Y direction is connected with the buried power lines. Metal power lines extending in the X direction are formed in an upper-layer metal interconnect layer and connected with the local power line. The spacing of placement of the metal power lines in the Y direction is greater than the spacing of placement of the buried power lines.

A system and method for creating layout for standard cells are described. In various implementations, a floating metal net in the metal zero layer of a standard cell is selected for conversion to a power rail. The metal zero layer is a lowest metal layer above the gate region of a transistor. A semiconductor process (or process) forms a power rail in a metal zero track reserved for power rails. The process forms another power rail in a metal zero track reserved for floating metal nets, and electrically shorts the two power rails using a local interconnect layer between the two power rails. The charging and discharging times of a source region physically connected to the two power rails decreases.

A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a first semiconductor layer, a second semiconductor layer, and a first cell and a second cell which are arranged adjacent to each other along a first direction. Each of the first cell and the second cell has a polygonal boundary shape with n (where, n is a natural number of >4) sides. The first cell includes a plurality of first MOS transistors and a plurality of second MOS transistors. The second cell includes a plurality of third MOS transistors and a plurality of fourth MOS transistors. The first cell and the second cell are arranged such that each of the first cell and the second cell has a region overlapping with each other in a second direction.

An integrated circuit device includes a substrate, and a unit cell on the substrate. The unit cell defines a unit cell area including at least two discrete devices. The unit cell includes a routing layer configured to route a signal and a voltage to the at least two discrete devices, the routing layer including a signal line and a voltage line extending in a first direction, and the signal line and the voltage line spaced apart from each other in a second direction, and a metal line stack including metal lines stacked between the unit cell area and the routing layer in the first direction. A plurality of contact vias are each configured to connect at least two adjacent ones of the signal line, the voltage line, the metal lines and the at least two discrete devices, in a third direction.

An integrated circuit including a plurality of stacked metal layers and a method of manufacturing the integrated circuit are provided. The method includes: providing a plurality of standard cells, each of which includes cell patterns respectively formed on the plurality of metal layers; and forming, on a particular metal layer among the plurality of metal layers which includes patterns extending in a first direction that are respectively formed on a plurality of tracks that are spaced apart from each other in a second direction, an additional pattern between adjacent patterns formed on a particular track of the plurality of tracks based on an interval between the adjacent patterns exceeding a reference value.

Apparatuses and methods for arranging compensation capacitors are described. An example apparatus includes: a first conductive layer including a portion; a second conductive layer: a contact coupled to the portion of the first conductive layer; a third conductive layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, coupled to the contact; one or more capacitor elements wherein each capacitor element of the one or more capacitor elements includes one end coupled to the second conductive layer and another end coupled to the third conductive layer.

A method of forming an integrated circuit includes placing a first cell layout design of the integrated circuit on a layout design, and manufacturing the integrated circuit based on the layout design. Placing the first cell layout design includes placing a first active region layout pattern adjacent to a first cell boundary, placing a second active region layout pattern adjacent to a second cell boundary, and placing a first set of active region layout patterns between the first and second active region layout patterns, according to a first set of guidelines. The first set of guidelines includes selecting transistors of a first type with a first driving strength and transistors of a second type with a second driving strength. In some embodiments, the first, second and first set of active region layout patterns extend in the first direction, and are on a first layout level.

A cell layout implemented in an integrated circuit (IC) includes a first plurality of independent power posts in a first metal layer. Each independent power post of the plurality of independent power posts provides a power connection to one device of a plurality of devices within the cell layout. A source or drain of each device of the plurality of devices is connected to one independent power post of the plurality of independent power posts. The IC further includes a plurality of independent power straps in a second metal layer that is different from the first metal layer. Each independent power strap of the plurality of independent power straps spans across and connects to multiple independent power posts of the first plurality of independent power posts.

Embodiments of the disclosure are directed to advanced integrated circuit structure fabrication and, in particular, to standard cell architectures without power delivery space allocation. Other embodiments may be described or claimed.